Various catalysts are known for their use in the double bond isomerization of olefins. However, many of these catalysts produce substantial amounts of polymer and/or skeletally isomerized product, i.e., branched olefins. For some applications, such as preparing internal olefins for alkylation reactions, it is desirable to limit branched products to the least amount possible, i.e, to maintain linearity between feed and product olefins. Therefore, for certain applications, it is desirable to use a catalyst that is selective for double-bond isomerization without skeletal isomerization.
Many processes for olefin isomerization require rigorous reaction conditions. Such conditions can cause hydrocarbon cracking and oligomerization, and require high energy consumption. Thus, in order to supply the commercial need for olefins and minimize production costs, a need exists for improved, more efficient, and less costly ways to isomerize olefins to linear internal olefins while minimizing dimerization, and without substantially increasing branched olefin content.